Facilities for reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuels are provided with so-called hot cells for housing the process equipment used. In these radiation-shielded large-area cells, the process equipment is accommodated in frames known as racks.
The maintenance work within the large-area cells subjected to radiation must be effected without the necessity of having operating personnel enter the cells. The maintenance work is therefore performed by using remotely-controlled apparatus. In this connection, it is preferable that the racks within which the process equipment is contained be lined up in modular format along the longitudinal walls of the hot cell. This makes it possible to completely exchange a rack.
With such an exchange, all tubular conduits which connect two completely loaded racks to each other must be disconnected by remotely-controlled apparatus and, after the new rack is put in place, the tubular conduits must again be connected with each other.
The removal of the rack has up to now been complicated because the ends of the tubular conduits have been directly next to each other and have bounded the location where movement of the racks must necessarily take place when the same are exchanged.